New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu is in the midst of the best season of her career, and Chicago Sky veteran Candace Parker helped her get there.

Ionescu missed most of her rookie season in 2020 with an ankle injury, then dealt with the nagging effects of that injury through 2021. Now she is finally fully healthy, and it is showing on the court.

“I knew this was going to be the year that I was finally able to play like myself,” Ionescu told Boardroom. “And win or lose, as long as I could play to the best of my ability and I can train as much as I want and just be fully present, I was going to be happy.”

Ionescu hasn’t just shown up for the New York Liberty this season. She’s been one of the best players in the game. Recently, she became the first player in WNBA history with 500 points, 200 rebounds and 200 assists in a single season.

On July 7, she recorded the first 30-point triple-double in WNBA history. It was her second of the season and the third of her career, tying her with Parker for the most all-time — in just her third season in the league.

Ionescu’s stat line — 18.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game — represents a step up from her sophomore season, in which she put up a still-respectable 11.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game.

“I rushed myself back. It was pretty complicated,” Ionescu told Boardroom. “Looking back, I shouldn’t have played as early as I did and through as much pain as I did. It was hard dealing with a lot of the people that just thought I just wasn’t playing like that because I wasn’t capable.”

After suffering her injury during her rookie season, Ionescu attempted to make her way back to the court too quickly. She wanted to develop relationships with teammates that she didn’t really get to know before having to leave the Wubble in 2020. But she remained limited by her injury, jumping off just one leg to avoid pain in her ankle.

“Obviously I never talked about it,” Ionescu said. “Never told anyone. My trainers didn’t know. My coaches didn’t know. No one knew.”

Parker, though, noticed during a game between the Liberty and Sky last season and offered up some advice.

“‘Hey, I know you’re in a lot of pain,’” Ionescu recalls Parker saying. “‘Get your body healthy and then you’ll be ready to perform.’ I just felt like no one knew what I was going through, so when I was able to hear that from her, I thought, ‘This is cool. Someone has my back. And someone understands what I’m going through and the target that I have.’ So we’ve gotten even closer through this last year, and I’ll always really appreciate her for that.”

In the offseason, Ionescu told Boardroom she put all of her efforts into getting fully healthy again.

“I kind of took a break because I was personally embarrassed,” Ionescu said. “I was just like, ‘This is not acceptable. I need to be better.’”

Ionescu has gotten back to being better, and then some, this season. The Liberty (13-20) are fighting for a playoff spot, although their hopes were dimmed a bit Monday by a loss to the Dallas Wings.

In this week's episode of The Late Sub, host Claire Watkins breaks down the newly reported indefinite absence of NWSL star Trinity Rodman from the Washington Spirit, with the 22-year-old attacker rehabbing an ongoing back injury that could reshape the prospects of both the Spirit and the USWNT.

Calling her "the face of the NWSL," Watkins details the Spirit star's long-term back injury, which has led Rodman to seek treatment with a team doctor in London — all while acknowledging that she doesn't think her "back will ever be 100%."

Watkins digs into the potential contributing factors to Rodman's current injury status, including the USWNT's heavy use of the forward during the 2024 Olympic gold medal-winning run in Paris — and whether the team will make different decisions going forward due to the fallout on players like Rodman.

"I'm really curious if [USWNT manager Emma] Hayes and her coaching staff will adjust the way they approach strikers in the future, or forwards in the future, or rotation — or if this is just one of those many stories of a player giving it all for the United States and living with the consequences," says Watkins.

As for Washington, Watkins note that — in the wake of copious injuries — the Spirit is still finding ways to win, with club owner Michele Kang and the coaching staff shrewdly managing the depleted roster.

"I think they would be a juggernaut if they were healthy, but they can win pretty, they can win ugly," notes Watkins.

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'An NWSL breaking point'

Watkins also points out that she thinks Rodman's choice to seek treatment in London could be significant, as the forward is currently in a contract year.

With multiple NWSL standouts recently defecting to European clubs, Watkins argues that the US league is hitting a "breaking point" when it comes to retaining top players.

"I am just really, really curious if, by the end of this season, this situation has led Rodman back to the Spirit or if this is the beginning of a player having to progress forward in a different environment," Watkins sums up.

About 'The Late Sub' with Claire Watkins

The Late Sub with Claire Watkins brings you the latest news and freshest takes on the USWNT, NWSL, and all things women's soccer. Special guest appearances featuring the biggest names in women’s sports make TLS a must-listen for every soccer fan.

Follow Claire on X/Twitter @ScoutRipley and subscribe to the Just Women’s Sports newsletter for more.

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There's a traffic jam in the middle of the NWSL standings, with this weekend's slate bound to create some distance among mid-table teams jockeying to break free from the pack.

Between rising underdogs and top-dog rivalries, expect the 2025 NWSL season's sixth matchday to leave it all on the field:

• No. 2 Orlando Pride vs. No. 6 Angel City, Friday at 8 PM ET (Prime): With both teams coming off demoralizing losses last weekend, the 2024 NWSL champs will fight to bounce back against the LA upstarts in Friday's marquee matchup.

• No. 10 Houston Dash vs. No. 11 Utah Royals, Friday at 8 PM ET (NWSL+): Tied up at four points apiece, the pair of struggling teams just below playoff contention on the NWSL table will battle for a boost above the cutoff line as the recently sold Royals take a trip to Texas on Friday.

• No. 3 Washington Spirit vs. No. 4 Gotham FC, Saturday at 1 PM ET (CBS): This week's top-table showdown features two injury-struck East Coast rivals getting rowdy at Audi — can Gotham turn things around or will Washington keep persevering?

• No. 9 Bay FC vs. No. 8 Seattle Reign, Saturday at 10 PM ET (ION): Seattle holds a slim tie-break over Bay FC as both teams hug the playoff line, with the Reign looking to build on last week’s Cascadia Clash victory over Portland.

This weekend has the potential to divide the contenders from the pretenders, while the league's top three clubs continue to hold court over the rest of the field.

Saturday's soccer lineup underlines a brewing East Coast rivalry, as the Washington Spirit hosts Gotham FC for the first time since knocking the Bats out of the 2024 NWSL semifinals.

"Just playing against them, you feel that fire," Spirit forward Makenna Morris told JWS this week, with Washington's Audi Field anticipating a large crowd for Saturday's match.

Both clubs know each other well, with 2021 NWSL champions Washington and 2023 trophy-winners Gotham seeing a number of big-name players migrating between New York and DC in recent years.

After finishing 2024 in the league's top four, both teams continue to lurk near the top of NWSL table this season, cementing the idea that the best rivalries blossom between winning sides.

"The [team] that poses the most challenge to you, it just makes you want to beat them so bad," said Washington midfielder Gabby Carle.

"You hate to play them because they're good, but you also love it because it's so competitive," echoed Morris.

Ultimately, familiarity is breeding healthy resentment between two of the NWSL's winningest sides, providing a little extra incentive to secure all three points in this weekend’s matchup.

How to watch NWSL rivals Washington vs. Gotham this weekend

The Spirit will host East Coast rival Gotham at 1 PM ET on Saturday, with live coverage of the 2024 NWSL semifinals rematch airing on CBS.

As the 2024/25 UEFA Women's Champions League (UWCL) wraps up its two-leg semifinals on Sunday, the English teams still in the running find themselves on the brink of elimination from Europe's most prestigious club competition.

Facing a 4-1 deficit against reigning champs Barcelona, Chelsea will aim to close the gap — and keep their historic quadruple hopes alive — at home this weekend.

Meanwhile, Arsenal will try to overcome a more manageable 2-1 deficit against eight-time Champions League winners Lyon, traveling to France to keep their UWCL campaign alive.

An English side hasn't won the UWCL since 2007, when Arsenal took home the WSL's lone European championship trophy.

"Huge respect for their history and what they have been doing and producing in the Champions League, in Europe," Arsenal manager Renée Slegers said of Lyon. "I think they're still a very strong side."

"Subconsciously, you always have that thing when you fall short, like last year," said Lyon midfielder and USWNT captain Lindsey Heaps, reflecting back on last season’s title loss to Barcelona. "You lose a game, you lose a tournament – the feeling is there until you're back in the the games that can fix that feeling."

How to watch the 2024/25 Champions League semifinals

Sunday's second leg of the 2024/25 Champions League semifinals kicks off with Chelsea vs. Barcelona at 9 AM ET, before Arsenal faces Lyon at 12 PM ET.

Both matches will air live on DAZN.